Advice on dosing and media

[Ninja1]

Hey guys!

I need advice on a few things related to dosing and reactors. I know that I will need Carbon & GFO but not sure exactly when to start with this. Should I get the Carbon & GFO reactor now or wait until my tank can actually hold corals? Im looking at the dual unit from BRS.

Also, I've read the importance of calcium and alk when it comes to sps but again, when is the best time to use this. Is a reactor better than manual dosing? The reason I wanted to wait was to first get the tank running and getting the readings on the different levels.

Theres way too many options out there and I really want to avoid wires and multiple units. Looking to hear about your experiences to plan accordingly. Thanks in advance.

EDIT- Found some great info on kalkwasser but just curious about the timing of all the additives w/ a new tank setup.

 

[anthony27]

Well here you go, Yes gfo and carbon are inportant in the reef tank carbon breaks down organic wast and gfo or ferric oxide breaks down phosphates in the tank.

So getting a reactor for them is good because they can tumble around and you will obtain more surface area with this.

A cal reactor can have issue that can go wrong with it as well as manual dosing.
I manual dose and Harry and Jarret have a cal reactor. A cal reactor has media in it that breaks down when the ph is reached in the chamber and the media is activated.
For cal reactors you will need a ph probe and if any one tells you other wise that is wrong. You need a ph probe to mointor the ph in the chamber. I know Harry have a advanced bubble counter for the co2 tank going into the cal reactor but I have no idea how that works. Look cool though.

Hand dosing you will need to check 2 times a week or once a day depending how how stocked of a sps tank you want it to be. You will need to dose cal and alk and mag, and test rember that the cal and alk need to be ballanced inorder to keep your levels correct, as where a cal reactor doses for you.

I have a tone of mix reviews of kalk. I have heard ppl crashing theri tank because of the dumping of kalk, and haveing good growth cause of it.

 

[anthony27]

To add to this the real factors in a reef tank are:

1 lighting, you will def need a good light to grow coral.
2.water mvoement- water movement is the key, you want a good turn over rate for the tank so you have no blank spots in the tank.
3.skimmer- this is where you can splurge, along with the lighting the skimmer is the main key in the reef tank. You will need to have a good skimmer alot of ppl overate the skimmer for their tanks ex: I have a 75g and the skimmer I have is rater for a 150g and the other skimmer I have is rated for a 110g.
4. water changes and good cleaning skills for the tank. You will need to keep up with the water changes and also feeding your fish and dosing if you go with that for the tank.

I hope this helps you out. Just plan out the tank and see from there.

 

[diverrad]

Well here you go, Yes gfo and carbon are inportant in the reef tank carbon breaks down organic wast and gfo or ferric oxide breaks down phosphates in the tank.

minor correction here they do not break down phosphates or organic waist.

carbon will absorb certain chemicals and polish the water, very usefull if you have softies mixed in with sps as it really clears out the chemical warfare that the softs are spewing out which can stun sps growth.

Ferric oxide absorbs phosphates and must be changed out before it reaches peak absorption and starts to leach it back out. Very useful to keep a ULNS for sps but i have found with the advent of bio pellets no longer necessary since the bacteria that use the pellets eat 1 part nutrients 1 part carbon (the pellet) and 1 part phosphate.

I would not worry about dosing just yet cross that bridge when you need to. There are many options and you will really see what is best for you once you see what kind of system you wind up having.

 

[fishome25]

Calcium reactor was the 2nd best thing I've ever added to my reef tank. It is very consistent and will much harder to screw up than dosing. I never used a pH probe in the 10 years I've been running my reactor. Anthony I don't think you should say its wrong if you've never tried it. There is no difference between a pH probe and a pH test kit. Adding a pH monitor along with a pH probe will add a safety to the sytem but I've never added that to my system. I'm the monitor

 

[diverrad]

oops i have to correct myself now
Ferric oxide absorbs phosphates and must be changed out before it reaches peak absorption and starts to leach it back out. Very useful to keep a ULNS for sps but i have found with the advent of bio pellets no longer necessary since the bacteria that use the pellets eat 1 part nitrate 1 part carbon (the pellet) and 1 part phosphate.

 

[batt600]

Calcium reactor was the 2nd best thing I've ever added to my reef tank. It is very consistent and will much harder to screw up than dosing. I never used a pH probe in the 10 years I've been running my reactor. Anthony I don't think you should say its wrong if you've never tried it. There is no difference between a pH probe and a pH test kit. Adding a pH monitor along with a pH probe will add a safety to the sytem but I've never added that to my system. I'm the monitor

Calcium reactor are very easy to srew up and are nothing but problem. I had a calciuam reactor for 4year and it was a headache and it lowers your ph and doesnt keep your alk stable at all. dosing is 100% idiot proof .

 

[DrHarryLopez]

For Nitrate and Phosphate removal I swear on my Bio-pellets. ZERO Nitrates 0.03-0.01 Phosphates consistantly! I dont use Carbon nor GFO. I will on occasion maybe once a year some carbon to polish up my water.

Excellent skimmer for DOC removal, and Filter sock for mechanical removal of detritus.

I have a Ca reactor but is offline right now (another story.) Dosing DIY Ca, Alk n Mg 700 ml per day (1 gallon in 5 days)

 

[batt600]

Now as for carbon its a must for me and really any sps tank to me . Sps are very sensitive to toxines and carbon helps with that. Gfo is also a must and must be changes out every 6m . Dont get the brs dual reactors carbon need a high flow throw the reactor were GFO needs very little. Try the BRS carbon the ROX 8 its great and there GFO is great to the High Capacity GFO,

 

[fishome25]

Ninja I've read a lot of your posts and can tell you are an intelligent person. I'm fully confident you can figure out how to work a Ca reactor. If you can afford one and have the space for it, it will save you money on additives and time in the long run.
I know you've learned a lot so far, and if you accept the fact that sps need strong lighting to survive, I'd trust your "newbie" opinion over some more experienced reefers here. :spin1:

 

[batt600]

Ninja I've read a lot of your posts and can tell you are an intelligent person. I'm fully confident you can figure out how to work a Ca reactor. If you can afford one and have the space for it, it will save you money on additives and time in the long run.
I know you've learned a lot so far, and if you accept the fact that sps need strong lighting to survive, I'd trust your "newbie" opinion over some more experienced reefers here. :spin1:

Lmao-- experienced reefers who you :lol2: If you only new you must be a MR supporter

 

[Staaan]

IMO..

If you're not going to be creating a so called "SPS Dominant Reef Tank"..

You won't need a Cal reactor.. because the uptake of.. as you guessed - Cal/Alk will not be worth the initial cost of the reactor (unless of course you really score some sweet deal.

Seeing as how you're a beginner... I think as DLO stated... K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) is the best way to go..

The less complex your system is the less can go wrong.

Why do Toyota/Hondas have such great reliability records? They use proven technology which is much simpler than what Mercedes or BMW implement into their cars. Not saying that BMW and the like don't create great cars, but when you look at reliability statistics, they fall way behind.

Now do "complex" systems work? Yeah sure they do, but I believe its more for the "advanced reef keeper"... no matter how you look at it, there is a learning curve for this hobby, and you can do all the reading you want, but until you experience a problem your self, and rectify the problem...you won't gain "real" experience.

 

[Ninja1]

Anthony, thanks so much for the breakdown. I wanted to score a deal but was pressed for time and glad you guys responded today! I will be using the dual gfo/carbon to begin with- looks simple enough.

Fishome- ahha, thanks for the encouragement. Calcium reactors look pretty good and I will be saving for one. Hopefully by then Ill have a better idea of where my tank is going and exactly what I have in it.

Staan- I really appreciate your input b/c it supports my initial goal, to have a efficient and simple setup!

I hope you guys will be at the meeting Sunday. I will be coming to both meetings with lots of questions, tomorrow and Sunday.

 

[anthony27]

just get the equipment first and then worrie about coral.

If you have lps or softied then you do not need massive lighting, sps on the other hand you will need good lighting.

just one step at a time rome was not built in a day

 

[diverrad]

Lmao-- experienced reefers who you :lol2: If you only new you must be a MR supporter

hey Batt Tom forgot more about reefing that you will ever know. Please refrain from personal attacks on people you dont know. Your becoming a pest just like you where on MR.

 

[jcs11236]

lololol